3D stickers

3D stickers with doming: relief you can feel

A 3D sticker is a printed sticker with a clear resin layer over it that domes as it cures. That layer — known as doming — gives the image depth, gloss and a relief you can feel. The difference from a flat sticker is immediately visible: the logo looks more like an inlaid emblem than an applied image.

We produce 3D stickers for companies, machine builders, motor businesses, sports clubs and brands that want to apply their logo in a high-quality way.

Where they are used most

On machines and equipment, where the rating plate or the brand logo has to stay legible for years and stand up to cleaning agents. On vehicles and trailers as an emblem. On electronics and accessories. And as a nameplate on furniture, reception desks and showroom displays.

In short: anywhere an ordinary sticker looks too cheap and a milled or engraved emblem is too expensive or too heavy.

What the doming does

The resin layer has three effects at once. It magnifies optically, so small text reads more sharply. It protects the print against scratches, UV and chemicals, because the ink sits under the layer instead of on top of it. And it gives a gloss and depth that flat printing cannot achieve.

The layer is slightly flexible, which means the sticker copes with a gentle curve. On a sharply curved surface, such as a thin tube, it works less well — there we are better off discussing an alternative.

Shape, surface and adhesion

3D stickers are contour cut, so the shape of your logo determines the shape of the sticker. Fine points and very thin connections are vulnerable; where necessary we adjust them slightly in the production file and show you that in advance.

Adhesion depends on the surface. On painted metal, glass, smooth plastic and powder-coated steel the standard adhesive bonds excellently. On untreated, porous or greasy material it does not. For difficult surfaces and for outdoor use on vehicles we use a stronger adhesive layer.

Always clean the surface without any maintenance product before applying, and press down from the centre towards the edges.

Service life

Indoors a 3D sticker lasts more or less indefinitely. Outdoors, the quality of the doming and of the ink determines how long the colour holds. A version with UV-stable resin does not yellow and lasts for years, even on a south-facing façade or on a vehicle. A cheap version yellows visibly within one or two summers. We supply the UV-stable version as standard and say so when a lighter one will do.

What determines the price?

3D stickers have no fixed unit price. The cost follows from the size, the shape and whether it is contour cut, the quantity — the set-up cost of the cutting form and the print is spread over the run, so a hundred pieces are far better value per piece than ten — the quality of the resin and the adhesive layer, and whether the sticker is used indoors or outdoors.

Send us your logo as a vector file, the size you want and the quantity, and you will get a quotation in which those items are visible.

Requesting a proposal

Send us your logo and tell us what the sticker is going on. We will say whether the surface is suitable and produce a full-size proof.